Who’s Getting Gary Coleman’s Estate?

Gary Coleman died tragically last week. There’s been some controversy in the wake. His ex-wife Shannon Price was by his side in the hospital, and she was the one authorized doctors to take him off life support. The problem is that Price and Coleman secretly divorced close to two years ago in August 2008, therefore making the fact that she made that all-important decision to pull the plug on Coleman questionable.

Randy Kester, Coleman’s lawyer, said, “I was the attorney for the divorce proceedings. Out of a respect for Gary’s privacy, up until it became public, I didn’t want to say anything.” He added, “Their relationship has been on-again, off-again. I know that there were periods of time where she resided in the home with Gary, and there were periods of time where she didn’t.”

This revelation also raises disputes with regards to Coleman’s estate. His estranged parents Sue and Willie Coleman might “file a probate action which will ask the court to make a determination as to who [Gary’s] heirs are,” Kester adds.

Complicated much? “No one’s come forward with what appears to be a valid will. No one’s come forward with anything that would indicate that his parents would not end up being his heirs” Kester reveals.

According to the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, Price had the right to make the decision and they released a statement saying Gary had signed an “Advanced Health Care Directive that granted Shannon Price permission to make medical decisions on his behalf if he was unable to do so.” Hospital officials say that the document stands regardless of marital status, unless the patient changes it.
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